First Christmas in the Bahamas

23 December 2017 | Black Point Settlement

Sunny, 80 Degrees, Winds NE, 6-10 Knots

We had an uneventful crossing from Lake Worth to Nassau. The winds were light and favorable, which meant we had to motor sail most of the time. However, we still managed to arrive a couple of hours faster than previous crossings. During my watch, I was startled by the cockpit being illuminated by strange lights. I looked over to my right and saw that a cruise ship was putting on a fireworks display. Prior to that I did hear something being announced over the radio, but was not able to understand what the captain was saying. In hindsight, I realize he was announcing the fireworks display. So I just relaxed and enjoyed the show. At different times during the night each of us had to alter our course to avoid oncoming ships. I personally felt good that I can now handle this type of situation without waking Ron. I must say we really love our new AIS Transceiver that we installed this past spring. Prior to that our VHF could only receive AIS signals but could not transmit. So now we not only see on coming ships, but they can see us as well. Ya gotta love technology.

Our stay at Nassau Harbour Club Marina was very short. We checked into customs, got our cruising permit and Battelco SIM cards. The SIM cards allow us to operate on the Bahamas phone and internet system. After spending a restful night, we left the dock and headed to our first stop at Shroud Cay in the Exumas. Now the fun begins.

Today we are sailing 30 miles to Black Point Settlement where we will be catching up with our friends Jerry and Donna on Blue Jacket to celebrate Christmas. We hope that all of our friends and family have a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Ron is a retired instrumental music teacher. He has been sailing since he was a young man (1970) on Lake Ontario in Henderson Harbor, NY. His dream has always been to own his own sailboat and anchor it in Henderson Harbor. Well, that dream has come true. [...] Ron and
his wife Deb own the sailing vessel Scheherazade. Scheherazade is a 42 ' Passport built in 1984. Deb is a retired Director, Risk Management for one of the hospitals in Syracuse, NY. Deb started sailing with Ron on a Sunfish on Oneida Lake in Cicero NY, in 1985. She had a dream of owning a bigger sailing vessel that they could travel South iduring the cold NY winter months. Their other crew during the summer months are their twin grandsons, Eli and Ethan Doherty.